Reference-class headphones built to satisfy the demanding ears Quincy Jones.

The AKG Q701 reference-class premium headphones represent a momentous partnership with AKG and one of the most accomplished musicians of the 20th century: Quincy Jones- an American icon whose productions include the best-selling album (Thriller) and single ("We Are the World") of all time. Quincy has received an unprecedented 79 GRAMMY nominations and 27 GRAMMY awards, more than any other living artist. It stands to reason that the headphones he puts his name to must be nothing but the very best-and the Q701s are the most accurate and responsive headphones AKG has ever produced.

I just have to start out by saying that these headphones will ruin you (in a good way). I mean that all your other cheap headphones/earbuds will forever fall short of the clarity you get with the Quincy Jones...

That being said, these cannot replace your throw-around, easily-portable headphones for a few reasons:

First off, these bad boys are massive--maybe a little "unstylish"--but do we listen to music to look cool? Second, they are not noise-isolating, so trying to escape a busy environment in the comfort of music is not a very practical use for these; these are more for the sitting down, intentional, focused, hi-fi music listening experience. (Besides, these are way too fancy to be walking around town with). Third, they may lack in "booming" bass or be a little on the quiet side without extra power, but I use these to listen to my iPhone, and have never heard the songs better or clearer. They are my go-to choice if I am going after pure sound quality.

All that being said, they're still 5 stars in my book. I find them to be quite comfortable, and just perfect. I am so pleased with these, and I know you will be, too. Happy listening!

I have three sets of these headphones, two 701's and one 702. They have excellent revealing sound. You can really make out instruments and drums that you otherwise would not hear. As another reviewer said, they need the proper amplification. I would add to that that the source material must be up to snuff. If you're listening to some compressed mp3, you're not hearing the incredible range of these speakers. I use the Native Instruments Audio 6 headphone jack,or the Creative Labs Soundblaster HD outbourd USB processor, and with some older recordings I cannot get enough gain. Mostly this is only with older songs, which were recorded at normal levels. I bought an expensive headphone amp, but don't use it much. With the new loudness race, most newer recordings have sufficient gain. For 90$ of the time, I get enough gain. However, I realized that the sound was so clear, I didn't need to turn them up too high. They don't distort at higher levels, you don't perceive it as loud as it is until you're done, so be careful with your hearing. They are not for use with ipods and devices. The earpads are so large that getting the right stereo image can require moving the headphone a bit. But it's well worth it, marvelous sound.

These headphones sound great if you run them through the right equipment that can actually power them. Such as a computer or headphone amp. ie These were not made for a mobile device. Cord is very long and durable.

What made me return these is that the headband was very uncomfortable in less than 15 min of wearing. Those bumps on the headband aren't cushion they're just hard bumps.

Just like the other reviewer says, these headphones are nice. They sound great, and feel nice when worn. My only complaint is, that they should come with a case for transporting to other sessions. At the price they sell for, that should be included.